This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

OTTAWA—The federal government has rejected key recommendations from the Ashley Smith inquest to limit the use of solitary confinement for mentally ill inmates.

The Correctional Service of Canada said they’re “unable to fully support” recommendations to sharply limit the use of solitary confinement for inmates.

In a 28-page response to the inquest into Smith’s death in prison, the agency said the purpose of “administrative segregation” is to maintain the security of the prison, inmates, and staff.

“To be clear, the term solitary confinement is not accurate or applicable within the Canadian federal correctional system.

“There are various aspects of the jury recommendations . . . that the government is unable to fully support without causing undue risk to the safe management of the federal correctional system.”

Article Continued Below

Smith died Oct. 19, 2007 at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener. The 19-year old Moncton woman asphyxiated herself in her cell.

Last year, a jury in the resulting coroner’s inquest determined her death was a homicide. A review from federal corrections watchdog Howard Sapers’ office found that corrections staff failed to respond to Smith’s urgent needs, and that inaction cost Smith her life.

In the year she spent in the federal prison system, Smith was transferred to 17 different institutions. Smith’s last cell, in Kitchener, was segregated.

On Thursday, Sapers’ called the government’s decision to continue the practice of segregation a “disappointment.”

“I think that while there is some reason to be hopeful that the regulatory changes that are proposed today will have a positive impact, it won’t amount to the prohibition that I believe is necessary when it comes to segregating seriously mentally disordered individuals,” Sapers said.

Julian Roy, one of the lawyers who represented Smith’s family, said the corrections agency rejected the “core” of what the inquest’s jury found.

“I don’t see this as an honest response to the jury’s work,” Roy said.

“They decided that solitary confinement should never be used for women like Ashley. And (Corrections Services) has flatly rejected that finding.”

The Star requested an interview with Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, but his office said the minister was unavailable.

In a prepared response, a spokesman for the minister said Correctional Services will continue to use “all tools” to correct criminal behavior — including segregation — and said the government remains focused on the victims of crime.

In question period Wednesday, Blaney defended the segregation of inmates in the name of safety for the institution, staff, and the inmates themselves.

“This is a procedure that is applied with a lot of common sense by our correctional officers,” Blaney said. “We expect to have more development on our mental health strategy, an action we have taken to make sure those who have serious mental health issues are well taken care of.”

In their response to the inquest, Correctional Services announced they will continue a pilot project of two inpatient beds at the Brockville Mental Health Centre for female inmates. That’s in addition to 20 beds in Saskatoon and 12 beds in Montréal. The agency is working with the Nova Scotia government to establish beds in that province.

“Two beds is not enough,” said Sapers, adding that the beds are “a start.”

“The question really remains, what’s the holdup? The Correctional Service of Canada has been dealing with mentally disordered offenders ever since we’ve had institutional corrections in this country. The demand is only growing in terms of mental health needs inside of prisons.”

The corrections agency stated that a two-day mental health course is now required for new employees, and that since 2007, 10,800 staff have received that training.

The agency also said that it has been reviewing and updating its practices when it comes to screening inmates for mental health issues, and that 90 per cent of female inmates complete voluntary mental health screening at intake.

Key jury recommendations and responses from Correctional Services:

Recommendation: Indefinite solitary confinement should be abolished.

Response: Correctional Services will continue what they call “administrative segregation,” although some rules around the practice have changed.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com